Method of generating gas



H. BATCHELOR.

METHOD OF GENERATING GAS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 1917. RENEWED JAN. 13,1920.

1,352,241 PatentedSept. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET1.

1 7 I I v Suva r 501 I Jrton BMGZOF 294mm )AM m w lwe 3% Grammy H.BATCHELOR.

METHOD OF GENERATING GAS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 1917. RENEWED JAN. 13,1920.

1,352,Q41 PatentedSept. 7, 1920..

2 SHEETSSHEET2- l vih wwoeo 501% H HORTON BATCHELOR, 015 BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD or GENERATING GAS.

Application filed February 8, 1917, Serial No. 147,483.

- citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Methods of Generating Gas, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a method of generating gas and it has for itsobject the provision of means to efficiently generate awater gas with aminimum of.waste and with the greatest economy. As the best result inchemical combinations is secured when the elements to be combined arefirst finely divided and reduced to as homogeneous a condition aspossible so when it is desired to secure a decomposition or adisassociation it is equally as desirable that the material be broughtto the point at which such action is to take place, in as homogeneous acondition as possible. To this end I contemplate providing a highlyheated mass and bringing into contact therewith a spray of heated waterand finely divided coal dust in a thorou hly mixed and homogeneouscondition, w lereby the utmost efficiency of the apparatus is attainedand the results are rendered certain and uniform. Furthermore, since allof the material strikes the heated mass in such condition that theheated mass may act most efliciently thereon, it follows that a minimumof residual will result and great efficiency will be secured.

The apparatus shown in the accompanying drawing is intended merely toillustrate more or less diagrammatically means for carrying out theseveral operations hereinbefore outlined but it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited to the employment of any specific type ofapparatus for many modifications may-be resorted to without departurefrom the invention.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l is a sectional perspective view ofone of the main generators, and,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a battery showing two of said maingenerators and a centrally arranged receiver generator.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in both of the figures ofthe drawings.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 2, it will be seenthat a battery consists of two main generators 5 and a central receivergenerator 6. The main generators 5 are connected by pipes 7 with therecelver Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920. Renewed January 13, 1920. Serial No. 351,253.

generator 6 and these pipes are provided with valves 5, the purpose ofwhich valves is to render it possible to connect the main generators toor disconnect these generators from the receiver generator. Eachgenerator is provided with a stack 9 having a valve 9 located therein.In each of the main generators a heating element indicated as a gasburner 10 is provided which is supplied with gas through a valved pipe11 and the purpose of which burner is to periodically heat a mass offire-proof material 12. This may be of any suitable nature, but I preferto use fire-clay containing about 30% of saw-dust, th e saw-dust beingmixed with the fire-clay and the whole then baked and the resultant'massbroken to the desired degree of fineness. Nozzles 13 project through thewalls of the main generators 5 and serve the purpose of directing uponthe mass 12 a spray of hot water and finely powdered coal dust, thewater and coal dust being thoroughly mixed to constitute a homogeneousand uniform mixture which, when it strikes the heated'mass 12, isconverted into in the walls of the generator and I preferably providegrates 15 and 16 to thereby constitute within each of the maingenerators an upper decomposition chamber 17 and a lower decompositionchamber 18. The provision of grate l6 renders it possible to remove themass of refractory material from chamber 18 Without disturbing thematerial in chamber 17. This'renders it possible to wash the mass ofmaterial removed from chamber 18 to .thereby get rid of the ash thatcollects adjacent the nozzle. At 19 and 20 I have indicated handles forshaking the grates, if desired, this latter being merely for the purposeof precipitating into the ashpit 21 such ash as may accumulate withinthe mass 12. Man-holes 22 and 23 are provided for the purpose ofcleaning out the decomposition chambers when desired.

In operation only one of the main generators is used at a time, that is,while one is being used to generate gas the other is having its mass 12heated by the burner 10 and vice versa and when the burner 10 is inoperation the generator with which it is associated is cut off-fromcommunication with the receiver generator 6 by means of valve 8 and whenthe burner is in operation valve 9 of stack 9 isopened to provide thenecessary escape for the products of combustion.

follows that the mass 12 therein is maintained'in a heated state. Adischarge pipe 24: leads from the receiver generator 6 to any desiredpoint but preferably through de vices arranged to absorb the heat andutilize the same. In the production of the most eflicient results it isdesirable that the water and coal dust be combined in predeterminedproportions, these proportions being determined by the carbon content ofthe coal rather than by its volume. It is, therefore, to be understoodthat the mixture delivered through the nozzles is in predeterminedproportions, preferably in the proportions of 149.7 9 lbs. of water to100 lbs. of carbon content of the coal. The coal is in a finely dividedor powdered condition and consequently mixes uniformly with the water sothat the action of all parts of the spray is uniform. While I havedescribed the material sprayed through the nozzle as consisting of waterand powdered-coal, a liquid hydro-carbon may be substituted for thesolid hydro-carbon, the percentage of water being the same in proportionto the carbon content of the liquid hydro-carbon as that hereinbeforeset forth with relation to the water and solid hydro-carbon. I havefound that by combining the hydro-carbon with the water in theproportions stated all of the water will be decomposed and consequentlya minimum of residual is the result.

Having described my invention, what I claim is I The herein describedprocess of generating: gas which consists of alternately heating twoseparate masses of refractory and porous material, spraying upon suchmasses a homogeneous mixture of hydro-carbon and H 0, and conducting thegenerated gas through a third mass of refractory material whichconstitutes a common path for the gases from both the first namedmasses.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HORTON BATCHELOR.

